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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — a face
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com